Cobbles, Coquettry and Coffee

Wedge that door shut well behind thee, Miss, and collapse into the just bought-from-new Louis XIII chaise longue.

We've had the glaziers in again, this time to provide hundreds of those incredibly thick fish-eye lens type panes of glass, which fit into the new bay windows brilliantly, letting in light but not letting the average 17th century passer-by see in, which is all very well as I know that someone here is bound to use their mobile and mess up The Coffee Shop of Your Very Dreams' first attempt at a time travel.

But I'm not looking at anyone in particular...

I've spent most of the day rigging up The Coffee Machine to run on steam. It came with a backup generator in case of powercuts, but I imagine my commercial neighbours might get a bit alarmed by the throaty roar of a large diesel kicking up out the back. Anyway, The Coffee Shop of Your Very Dreams opens onto a narrow cobbled street in North London. Passing trade is minimal, which is to our advantage...but I'm worried about the horses. The Coffee Machine isn't quiet when it goes off...and the horses aren't fragrant when they go off, either.

I've brought a few ingredients with me from the future, so we should be okay.

Right, well everything's together, so push the button and off we go...

FUNNY TO NOTICE THAT NO ONE ASKED FOR A MILKSHAKE, CONSIDERING HOW POPULAR THEY'RE MEANT TO BE AT THE MOMENT. IT'S NOT AS IF IT'S HARD TO MAKE A MILKSHAKE, AND AS FOR CHARGING FOR TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO MAKE POPULAR ONES, IF YOU'RE THAT DESPERATE TO BRING ALL THE BOYS TO THE YARD, MCDONALDS WILL ACTUALLY pay you to learn, ah - all done.

Right then...Shmeder dropped by to reply to a comment left over at her place (I'm guessing at gender, sorry, but I'm hazarding female what with the pink and loving the smell of men. I had to make a choice...and of course leave an explanation that will unfailingly offend either way) about aerosol cheese, so I'm not sure if she wanted anything, so here, have a coffee...

Resplendent in the finest fashions the age has to offer is Pix, delicately sipping a quadruple espresso....and Mr. Curtis née Hobbes has a short one also.

Green Fairy is bringing our license (if we had one) into doubt by converting this respectable Penny University into a depraved Gin-drinking den, and of course we love her for it. One bottle of Bombay Sapphire...almost certainly the smoothest alcoholic drink in the world at this time...being the 17th century, and all.

Hanni ventures for tea, which is of course the very finest the Indian trade routes can provide...

Both Mr.D and Dave are impressing us with their historical knowledge/use of Google, asking for coffee a lá Lloyds. You'll have to be careful gentlemen. Using the French expression 'a lá' in this day and age could get you thumped on the back of the head for being a suspected French spy. Gordon can have one as well. You'll be glad to know that this way, the beans are boiled in the water, meaning there is just nowhere else for the caffiene to go...

...and with one foot firmly in the 21st century and with a firm welcome back after a brief absence, Trixie gets her icy little Frappucino.

I think that's about everyone for today...first one out might need a shovel for the horseshit.